Queen Elizabeth II might be the most private public figure in the world.

She's been on the throne for 65 years and has become one of the most recognizable faces on the planet — but she rarely speaks about herself and never grants interviews with the media. Lots of people know her only for her stern poker face and her dazzling collection of hats.

There's more to the sovereign than her public appearance, of course. Here are 26 fascinating things you might not have known about Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in the world.

She and her sister once partied incognito in the streets of London.

Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret in 1945.
Associated Press

Elizabeth and Margaret got their parents' permission to join the massive crowds celebrating the end of World War II on May 8, 1945. The queen has recalled the evening as one of the most memorable in her life.

"I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, all of us just swept along on a tide of happiness and relief," she said in 1985, according to the BBC.

Elizabeth and Margaret's escapade has even been dramatized in a film called "A Royal Night Out."

She's owned more than 30 corgis.

Elizabeth walking two of her many corgis.
Associated Press

Elizabeth's father brought home the royal family's first corgi in 1933, and on her 18th birthday, Elizabeth was gifted her very own corgi named Susan. Many of her subsequent corgis descended directly from Susan.

The queen also introduced an entirely new dog breed known as a dorgi — a cross between a corgi and a dachshund.

She owns all the swans and dolphins that swim in UK waters.

Queen Elizabeth and a swan at the annual Swan Upping.
WPA Pool/Getty Images

As early as the 12th century, the British monarchy laid claim to "all mute swans" in the country, according to the official royal family website. Back then, the birds were considered a delicacy.

Today, the Queen doesn't eat those swans, but she technically still owns them. Every year, the Queen's Swan Marker (actual job title) leads a multi-day census called the Swan Upping to count the birds and check up on their health.

Plus, thanks to 1324 statute, the queen can also claim ownership of all "fishes royal" — that means any sturgeon, dolphins, whales, and porpoises that reside in the waters around the UK.

She's made at least 260 official overseas trips since taking the throne.

The queen visits with the famous terra cotta warriors in Xian, China in 1986.
Associated Press

These days she's making fewer international trips, but the queen hasn't slowed down much: The Telegraph reported that the Queen carried out 341 royal engagements in 2015 — more than Prince Harry, Prince William, and Kate combined.

She sent a message to the moon.

Ahead of the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, dozens of world leaders were invited to write "messages of goodwill" that were transferred onto a small silicon disc. That disc is still sitting on the surface of the moon — Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin placed it just below the American flag they planted at the landing site.

"On behalf of the British people I salute the skill and courage which have brought man to the moon," the Queen wrote in her moon message. "May this endeavour increase the knowledge and wellbeing of mankind."

If the queen is at dinner and places her handbag on the table, her staff knows that she wants the event to end in the next five minutes. And if she puts her bag on the floor, it signals that she would like to be rescued from her current conversation.

She can imitate the sound of a Concorde jet landing.

Apparently her majesty has a great sense of humor and a talent for mimicry. According to the Associated Press, the queen's chaplain Bishop Michael Mann once said that "the queen imitating the Concorde landing is one of the funniest things you could see."

She doesn't use a last name.

Elizabeth II reads a speech at the opening of Parliament in 2016.
Reuters/POOL new

The queen's official title is "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith." No last name needed.

She has a poet who's paid in alcohol.

Elizabeth gets to appoint the UK's poet laureate, and in 2009, she tapped Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy for the position. She's the first woman to get to honor since it was created 350 years ago. The poet laureate is traditionally paid with a yearly salary of £5,750 (about $7,000) plus an entire barrel of sherry.

"I have found the experience energizing," Duffy told the Guardian in 2014, five years into her decade-long tenure. "So far it has been nothing but a joy."

She can't be prosecuted or compelled to give evidence in court.

The queen looks out from her car in 2015.
Getty/Carl Court

Hey, being the queen has to come with some perks.

Elizabeth doesn't appear to be abusing this power, however: A statement on the royal family website reads, "Although civil and criminal proceedings cannot be taken against the Sovereign [...] the Queen is careful to ensure that all her activities in her personal capacity are carried out in strict accordance with the law."

Every year she publishes a list of gifts people give her — and it's really weird.

The queen receives a gift from Singapore's high commissioner in 2011.
Getty/WPA Pool

Every year the royal family releases a report detailing all the gifts they've received from the public and world leaders during the previous 12 months.

The latest gift list for the queen includes some gems: A silver sticky note holder, a bag of salt, a glass cupcake, and pair of deer are just some of the weird and wonderful items she received during 2016.

British royals are allowed to wear and use their gifts, but they don't personally own them. Instead, the items will become part of the Royal Collection, which is held in trust by the queen.

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